Letters to the Editor

Indeed, the matter of the litter-strewn streets continues to be a constant source of concern to large numbers of your readers. I have written to various Council departments on this very subject over the years, with various degrees of success.

Last November, I wrote to the Leader of the Council complaining about, among other things, the lack of action in relation to the sweeping of the pavements in the Frizinghall area. In spite of a reminder, I have heard nothing further.

This is in spite of my informing her of the fact that, in my opinion, the situation was extremely hazardous to any pedestrians who used the footpath - I had, in fact, seen an elderly lady slip and fall.

I also made the point that unless action was taken, the drains would be blocked - this indeed has happened with the consequent result that the surface water gullies cannot cope when it rains heavily..

Anyone who travels along Keighley Road will be familiar with the "lake" at the foot of Heaton Grove. Cottingley Moor Road and many other roads show that the drains have not been cleared of the fallen leaves, or if they have, as usual, the job has not been done very well.

J C Etherington, Birchlands Avenue, Wilsden.

l A Council Cleansing spokesman said: "We will be sending a sweeping team to the roads and gullies mentioned immediately. As reported in the T&A on March 19, Bradford Council is making major changes in its road and pavement sweeping. From April mechanical sweepers will be out 17 hours a day from 5.30am-10.30pm doubling from 35 to 70 hours a week on a new shift system, including longer hours at weekends.

"These changes will have a big impact on roads and pavements across the district, but we need to remind people that dropping litter is unsightly, unsociable and gives a bad impression to visitors."

SIR - Re N Miskeen's letter "Is this justice?" (T&A, March 19), this certainly demonstrated that if the Home Secretary acted on Mr Miskeen's sentiments, the prisons could be emptied at a stroke.

The letter writer rightly deplores the riots, but also deplores the sentencing of the offenders.

But, hey, why get too pernickety about millions of pounds worth of damage to the city; the massive set-back to race relations: the damage to the city's reputation: the reduction of applicants to our university; the injuries to the police?

The punishments might have an effect on the criminals' future prospects! Dear, dear.

I was under the impression, unlike (it would appear) Mr Miskeen, that one became a criminal by breaking the law. He states that it is the law that creates criminals.

He further castigates the Asian elders for upholding the law, and states they were acting unjustly. Eh?

He finally ends his letter asking: is this justice? Thankfully, yes it is!

Robert Hughes, Manor Gardens, Cullingworth.

SIR - In response to N Miskeen's comments regarding the sentencing of rioters (Letters March 19), it seems this person doesn't understand the seriousness of the crime.

The crimes committed by some people on July 7 were some of the worse public order offences committed in Britain since the 1980s. Damage to property ran into millions and the danger to public safety was enormous. The city's improving image has been irreparably damaged.

The severity of the sentences passed out to convicted parties accurately reflects the severity of the crimes. To suggest that the courts unfairly treated any of these people is laughable.

Innocent residents of Bradford are going to be paying for the crimes of these people through increases in Council Tax for a very long time. Therefore, any participant in these horrendous crimes must be locked away for a very long time, even those who Mr Miskeen claims were "caught not doing a great deal".

Just to participate at all was deserving of the wrath of the law.

Finally, the members of the Asian community who handed over rioters to the law did so so that justice could then be done, not to curry favour with the authorities.

Mark Campbell, Leamside Walk, Bradford 4.

SIR - I recently had cause to visit the Breast Clinic at St Luke's Hospital and I would like to commend the treatment I received there.

I was treated with such care, kindness and attention that I could not have had better in the private sector. I was lucky and my visit proved to be a false alarm, and when I came out I knew this, which is a relief in itself (no waiting for results etc).

In this day and age when all we seem to hear is doom and gloom about all things connected to the health service, it is wonderful to know that ALL the women of Bradford have access to this clinic, and long may it continue.

Mrs Pauline Taylor, Low Ash Crescent, Wrose.

SIR - Forgive me, but I sometimes think I have picked up an issue of Watch Tower or something similar judging by the recent spate of Biblical letters lately.

I sit on the fence on this one, I'm neither for or against. There are far too many contradictions to answer.

I am certainly not sitting on the fence, though, when it comes to the dumbing-down of Bradford, compared to other Yorkshire cities round about.

Odsal? What a laugh. My parents took me there in 1934 and it has changed very little. Even Hull are showing us the way with a magnificent aquarium just opened. Sheffield are in the process of making a new ice rink and complex.

Our contribution seems to be a state-of-the-art tramway from Odsal to Bankfoot, minus the scenery.

Oh, and I forgot about the Provincial House development, still on hold waiting for demolition - and then what, we all wonder?

Kenneth E Higgins, Carr Bottom Grove, Little Horton.

SIR - I strongly agree with Abdullah Khan (Letters, March 18) that it's about time Ms Mubarik Iqbal learned to differentiate between racism and tolerance.

The British people in general are very polite and tolerant, compared to many other nations of the world.

Muhammad Azam, St Margaret's Road, Bradford 7.

SIR - I would like to say a very big thank you to the kind couple who stopped their car and gave me a lift home after my nasty fall at the top of Spencer Road on the afternoon of March 7.

Mrs M Smith, Holly Park Drive, Great Horton.